Playthings
by LauraCynthia
Summary: Answering a distress call from a colony scout ship, the crew of the Enterprise experience some distress of their own when the inhabitants of the planet mistake them for something else. For those of you who watched the animated series, imagine the characters thusly. (Chekov instead of Arex, but M'Ress is in this one). I wrote this in a few days.
1. Scout Ship MIA

_Captain's Log, Stardate 5517.9. The_ Enterprise _has picked up a signal originating in the Kappa Mu system that matches that of the recently disappeared_ SS Ingalls, _a colony scout ship. As we believe the craft to be in distress, we are heading there to investigate. Our report to Starfleet Command has not gone unnoticed; there is someone in particular who awaits news of the_ Ingalls.

Kirk studied the worried face of the woman on the display in his conference room. Blond haired and in her late middle age, she wore the uniform of a medical officer. "You are certain it's the _Ingalls_?"

Kirk nodded. "Positive, Dr. Gellar. The message contained their carrying code." He rubbed his chin. "The signal only began transmitting three days after last two-way contact. _Someone_ had to send the message."

The woman looked down before continuing. "Yes. Someone. Not necessarily my daughter, though."

McCoy tapped the table with his index finger. "You don't know that, Eloise. Daphne's tough as nails. I should know; I treated her myself for more broken bones than any cadet has a right to have and still graduate. Hardly had to use any painkiller either. If anyone's still kicking, she'll be."

Dr. Gellar smiled at McCoy. "Thank you Doctor. Personally, I think _you_ had more to do with getting her interested in medicine than I did."

McCoy smiled back. "Let's just say she had no shortage of role models growing up and leave it at that."

"When we find her, you'll be the first to know, Doctor. Kirk out." Kirk switched off the display and sat back in his chair. He closed his eyes, but opened them shortly afterward and found himself staring into the concerned face of Spock. "What did I do now?"

"That was a foolish promise to make, Captain. The colonization authority and Starfleet Command should be notified first, as you know." Spock placed one hand on the table, then turned to McCoy. "I am sure you are aware of the standard procedure as well, Doctor."

McCoy frowned. "Yes. Yes I am. But I'm also aware of the fact that Dr. Gellar is worried about her daughter. It'd be downright cruel to tell her the news second-hand, whatever the outcome."

Kirk leaned forward. "So you think there's a possibility the passengers and crew of the _Ingalls_ may be dead?"

"It's _always_ a possibility, Jim." They all sat in serious contemplation before the comm interrupted them.

"Bridge to Captain Kirk," Uhura's voice called.

"Kirk here. Go ahead, Lieutenant."

"Sir, we've managed to narrow down the source of the distress signal. It appears to be coming from the surface of Kappa Mu VII."

"Good. How soon can we get there?"

Uhura paused. "About an hour from now, sir."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." He switched off the comm. "Spock, pull any information we have on the planet from the ship's library."

Spock stood and headed for the door. "Yes, Captain."

"Bones," Kirk continued. "Make sure you have everything you need before we arrive. We're looking at seventeen people in various states of medical distress; on top of that, they'll likely all be suffering from hunger and dehydration, too."

McCoy nodded. "Mmm. That ship didn't land there, did it?"

"Not by choice, anyway," Kirk agreed.


	2. Kappa Mu VII

Kirk stood on the bridge, staring out at a large red planet on the viewscreen.

"Coming within orbital range now, sir," Sulu said. "There she is. Kappa Mu VII."

Chekov stared intently at the planet. "Kind of looks like Mars, doesn't it, Keptin?"

"It certainly does." Kirk turned to his left. "Do the similarities end there, Mr. Spock?"

Spock looked into his display screen. "It is also very arid, like the Martian surface. Gravity is 103.7% of Earth normal. Daytime temperatures can reach up to 135° F, but mostly hover between 100 and 110. Native flora and fauna seem to have adapted to the heat." He looked up.

Chekov wiped his brow. "Whew. Not exactly the kind of place you'd _choose_ to live, is it?"

"You'd be surprised, Chekov. The pioneer spirit of our ancestors lead to the taming some of the most inhospitable frontiers in the past." Kirk put a hand on his hip.

McCoy put his hand on the Chekov's shoulder. "But you're right. Most of them were buoyed onward by the promise of gold or freedom. It's not as though they woke up one morning and said, 'Look! A miserable heap of sand and bones! Yee-ha! Westward ho!'" He mimed cracking a whip.

Kirk chuckled. "Kindly rein in your enthusiasm, Doctor. We're not going down there to stake a claim."

McCoy looked up. "Who's enthusiastic? I just want to catch up to those colonists before the vultures do, that's all." He walked over to Kirk's chair. "I made a promise, Jim. Dr. Gellar is counting on us to find her daughter. _Alive_."

"I know." Kirk sat down. "Uhura, do we have a location on the _Ingalls_?"

Uhura studied a grid map on the display before her, which showed a diagram of the planet spread across in four different sections. A small blinking light light up one grid square. "I've managed to isolate an area of about 30 square miles, but I can't be any more specific than that, sir." She turned in her chair. "Still coming in strong."

Kirk nodded at Chekov, who put the grid on the main viewscreen. He pressed a button and the screen zoomed in. With another tap of a switch, he changed the display to a series of red,yellow, and orange splotches. One single spot glowed brighter than the others. "Heat map for the area shows a concentration of energy in the upper lefthand corner of the grid." He spun in his chair. "A possible crash site, perhaps?"

Kirk stroked his chin. "I would say so. Mr. Spock, you, Dr. McCoy, and Nurse Chapel – with me. We'll head to the ship and see what's what." The turbolift opened and M'Ress stepped out. Kirk looked up. "Lieutenant? Can I help you?"

She stood in the doorway, head cocked to one side. "Permission to come along, Captain?" She purred. "I know it's not my shift, but I've been restless all morning. Might as well put my extra energy to good use."

"Are you sure, Lieutenant? It's no walk in the park." Kirk folded his arms across his chest.

"Positive." She backed into the turbolift. "I will await the rest of the landing party in the transporter room." The doors shut.

Kirk flipped the switch on his chairside comm. "Mr. Scott?"

Scotty slid down out of one of the Jeffries tubes, grease streaking his face. He pressed a wall comm unit. "Here, sir."

"We've located the _Ingalls_.Get ready to beam down with us."

Scotty pulled a rag out of his pocket and wiped his face off. " _Down_ , ye say? If it's crash landed, I don't know what ye expect me to do. The thing'll be little more than a jigsaw puzzle."

"We're hoping that's not the case. _Somebody_ had to activate the distress call, and to do that, they'd have to survive the crash first. We may be able to get their ship up and running again." Kirk paused. "Unless, of course, you've got something more pressing to attend to?"

Scotty shook his head. "Nae. Just let me finish these refittings and I'll join you down there in half an hour, sir." He turned off the comm unit.


	3. Crash Site

Kirk, McCoy, Spock, M'Ress and Chapel appeared in 5 beams of yellow light. They wore environmental suits the same color as their uniforms, with a clear glass helmet that covered their heads.

They took in their surroundings. The planet's surface was red and rocky; swirling dust clouds blew lightly across the landscape. Here and there, a stray plant poked up out of the ground. The blue sky above was cloudless, allowing the sun above to beat down on everyone and everything. In the distance, some twisted trees sat atop a hill.

Chapel turned towards the others. "Doesn't look like much, does it?" M'Ress nodded.

Kirk shaded his eyes. "I dunno…it's got a certain rustic charm."

McCoy snorted bending down to pick up a handful of sand. "All it needs is a few tumbleweeds and a skeleton next to a dried-up watering hole." As if on cue, a round ball of vines blew past his feet. He jumped back and looked up. "As I was saying…"

Spock stood off in the distance, scanning with his tricorder. "The air is compatible with life, but very dry and dusty. I recommend we keep our helmets on."

M'Ress squinted her eyes shut. "So bright…" She pressed a button on the side of her helmet and it darkened. "That's better," she purred.

The others did the same with their helmets.

"Spock, is that signal still coming in?" Kirk asked.

Spock looked down at his tricorder briefly. "Negative, sir. Unfortunately, I cannot narrow down the search location any further without it."

Kirk shook his head in frustration. "It'll have to do. Okay, everyone, we've got a 30 mile radius to cover. Hopefully we'll find the _Ingalls_ before nightfall." The landing party spread out, trying to find areas of high ground from which to see the landscape better. Kirk took a pair of binoculars from his pack and lifted them to his eyes. Climbing up onto a large boulder, he looked around. To his left, a ridge on which some elk-like creatures stood looking across the canyon. Along the ridge, a hawk soared high up in the sky, barely visible; some rocks crumbled and fell off a ledge into the gorge below; a scrawny tree grew sideways off the cliff, tiny green leaves dangling; McCoy slipped and disappeared over the side of a pit with a yell-"Doctor!" Kirk jumped down off the rock and ran in his direction, legs pumping. The others turned and followed him, stopping just short of sliding down with McCoy.

Kirk leaned down, putting his hands on his knees. "Doctor, are you all right?" he asked, concerned.

McCoy was sprawled out on his back, breathing rapidly. "Sore, and shaken. Give me a hand, will you, Jim?" He reached up for Kirk's hand.

"Sure, Bones," the captain replied as he pulled McCoy to his feet.

Still hunched over, McCoy staggered up the gentle slope, his feet stepping into the ridges that lined it. Placing a hand on the small of his back, he stretched and groaned. "That's odd…I can't straighten up." Chapel moved around behind him to scan him with a medical tricorder and burst out laughing. "What's so funny about a pulled muscle?" McCoy asked.

"Looks like it pulled something else up with it," she answered, pointing at his back.

McCoy twisted his body and head around to get a better look. A black prickly weed was stuck to his lower back and rear end. He stretched upward again, and the weed tugged on his environmental suit, pulling him back into a bent position. Kirk and M'Ress were watching him with smiles on their faces. Spock raised his eyebrow and walked away. "Well, don't just stand there gaping at me like I'm some circus sideshow; help me get it off." Kirk and Chapel unhooked the spines of the bush from McCoy's suit and tossed it back into the pit. McCoy stood up straight and his back popped. "Ahh, that's better." He brushed off his suit, before turning and facing them, hands on his hips. "Now where'd Spock get to?" A flash of movement caught his eye, and they all turned towards the pit. Spock was standing a distance away on the other side, staring down into the pit, his brow furrowed.

Kirk bent over and picked up a pebble, tossing it at Spock's feet. The Vulcan looked up at him. "Fascinated, Mr. Spock?"

"How Doctor McCoy managed to get himself tangled in foliage is of little interest to me." McCoy's brows quirked as Spock leaned down and picked up handful of dark sand, letting it fall from his hand. "This depression in the ground, however, is quite significant. Do you notice anything peculiar about it, Captain?"

Kirk stepped forward as though to descend, but Spock's upraised hand stayed him. He pointed down into the pit. The ground inside was black, in contrast to the red sand he stood on. Some of it was crumbly like charcoal, but little pieces here and there were shiny black and red. "Yes. That almost looks like...glass."

Nurse Chapel peered over the edge. "Carbon... silicon...almost as though someone started a fire here. It'd have to be a scorcher to melt the sand like that."

"Not just here, Ms. Chapel. By my calculations, the depression extends a total distance of approximately 1,300 feet north north-east from this spot." Spock pointed in that direction. "It is my opinion that we will find the _Ingalls_ at the other end." Without further ado, he began to stride down the length of the pit.

"Come on." Kirk headed swiftly down his side of the pit, glancing down occasionally as his crew followed behind.

M'Ress's boot made contact with a small piece of metal half-buried in the sand. She kicked at it. "I think I found a piece of the craft," she shouted, scooping it up and brushing it off. "Hull plating, I'd say."

"Looks like they made a pretty rough landing," McCoy mused as he picked up another piece wedged in the wall of the pit. "It's not too badly damaged. There's still a chance that they're alive." Chapel passed behind him.

Kirk finally approached the end of the depression. He stood next to Spock, who appeared disturbed as he scanned the scorched area with his tricorder. "Captain," Spock muttered. "The ship definitely stopped skidding here. This, however, is likely not where the signal originated from." He stretched out his hand. "You can see why for yourself." The ground beneath them was dark, hollow, and _empty._ The other three members of the away team crowded around behind Kirk and Spock, staring into the gorge with disbelief.


	4. Where's The Ship?

"All right, if it's not here now, where is it?" Kirk stood in the pit, hands on his hips. He kicked at clods of charred earth. "Starships don't just get up and walk away."

"Maybe they fixed it," M'Ress suggested. "That could explain why the signal stopped, too." She sat on the edge of the gorge, her legs dangling and her tail arched.

"Not likely. They would have contacted us." McCoy walked around the right side of the site, taking it all in. "What's encouraging is what _else_ we're not finding here; bodies." He looked over his shoulder at Chapel, on the other side. She shook her head. "Which means that whatever happened to the ship since, it's becoming even more likely that they walked away from it." He turned his gaze on Spock. "You disagree?"

"No, doctor. Your assessment of the crew's condition is quite reasonable. There's nothing here to suggest that the _Ingalls_ was vaporized along with its crew." Spock turned to face the group. "Let's assume that you're right. The _Ingalls_ disappeared approximately _five_ days ago, and the distress signal began transmitting _two_ days ago. That leaves a window of _three_ days during which nothing was heard from them, yet somehow they managed to activate the signal in that time."

McCoy thought it over. "Mmm. I'm not sure I follow you."

Kirk put his hand on McCoy's shoulder. "I do. It's just as we surmised earlier; in order to activate the signal, at least one of them would have to be conscious somewhere _near_ the ship, even inside, three days after the crash."

"Wherever _that_ is," Chapel sighed. She put her hand on her tricorder.

A low rumbling sound echoed in the distance. "Well, glory be, we might actually get some _rain_ around here." McCoy looked skyward along with the others, holding his palm out, but saw only a few white wispy clouds overhead. He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Knowing _my_ luck, it'll probably be _acid_ rain."

Spock scanned the sky as the rumbling continued to come unevenly. "I am not reading any atmospheric disturbances in the area." The ground beneath their feet began to shake, knocking them off balance. M'Ress cried out as she slid down the gorge wall into the dirt below. Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Chapel tried to remain standing, but to no avail. They toppled over onto the ground.

"S-s-seismic, then?" Kirk asked. He lay on his stomach in the dirt, his helmet smudged with dust.

Spock stretched out an arm and reached for the strap on his tricorder, pulling it closer so he could read it. "Negat-t-tive, sir," he replied. "It seems to b-be coming f-from _above_ g-ground, not b-below it."

"Above ground?" Kirk shouted over the noise. "Th-that doesn't make any sense." They covered their heads as chunks of rock broke free, pelting their helmets.

A large shadow loomed over them, followed by a second shorter one. Kirk spared a glance upward just as a large, chubby hand reached down and grabbed him around the waist. "Hey!" The others watched as it lifted him into the air and dropped him into a large green trousers pocket. Kirk slid down the inside to the bottom of the pocket. It quivered as he struggled around inside.

The second figure clapped its hands as the first one reached for McCoy. "Let me go!" The doctor kicked his legs, trying to free himself, but didn't succeed. He, too, was dropped in the pocket, barely missing Kirk's head on the way down. "Ooof!"

Frightened, Chapel and M'Ress tried to stand and run away, but the second one bent over and picked up the women, one in each hand. It turned around and thundered away from the pit as the first one reached for Spock. Sticking him half in and half out of the pocket, it followed the shorter figure.


	5. Playing Around

Kirk squirmed as the movement of walking jostled him closer to McCoy, causing McCoy's elbow to poke him in the ribs. "Ow! Quit moving around, Bones."

"Me quit? _You're_ the one who won't stop fidgeting," McCoy groused.

Spock's feet rested on McCoy's shoulders. He adjusted his stance, placing one foot on top on McCoy's head, pressing him downwards. "Ugh...don't mind me; I'm only a step stool, after all."

Kirk looked up at the Vulcan. A glimmer of light shone down into the pocket. "What do you see, Spock?"

Spock looked down at them. "We are heading towards a large structure." He looked back up again.

"How large?" Kirk asked.

"Big enough to house our captors, as well as several others like them." Spock peered out of the pocket at a round dome-shaped dwelling with several windows and a wooden door in front. The walls were made of red stone. "There appears to be two separate storeys, as well as an enclosed yard in the back." He paused, looking upwards. "I do not recommend use of violence in our attempts to escape, sir. It would be most...unsuitable."

Kirk frowned. "Explain."

Spock hesitated, glancing once more at the figure whose pocket they were in. A tanned ridged face lifted towards the sun. A very youthful face. "I believe we have been abducted by very young children. This one would appear to be about 6 years of age. The other is a little younger, perhaps 4 or 5."

"Children?" Kirk repeated.

McCoy shook his head. "Well, I don't care how old they are. If he goes anywhere near the kitchen with _me_ , I'll come out biting and scratching."

As the child stepped up onto the porch of the house, Spock lost his footing and fell back against the side of the pocket, his legs hanging over McCoy's shoulders. "Ow!"

McCoy bumped Kirk, who bent over at the waist. "Ooof!"

Pushing through the door, the youngster thumped up the stairs. With each raise of his right leg, the pocket deflated, squeezing them. Finally, he stopped running and walked down a narrow hallway towards a door with little stars stuck to it. He pushed it open. "Rynci?" he called, reaching into his pocket. He grabbed Spock by the waist and pulled him out, McCoy holding on to Spock's legs, and Kirk grabbing McCoy's foot. After depositing them on the floor in a heap, he thumped across the room.

Kirk knelt, pressing his hands against the carpet. He reached for his belt. "My comm...it must've fallen out in his pocket."

McCoy lay on his back, groaning, while Spock staggered to his feet. Both reached for their comms, but like Kirk's, they were gone.

Spock opened his helmet. "The air quality is better in here."

"I think I'm going to be sick." McCoy held his stomach. "Feel like I've just been on a roller coaster ride." He stood up slowly, opening his helmet. "What _is_ this place, anyway?"

Large pieces of white paper were stuck to the walls, covered in colorful scribbles. Two giant red chairs stood in the corner, piled with cushions. A large model of a house similar to the one they were in sat on the floor, surrounded by miniature trees; a wheeled vehicle with a string tied on the front lay upside down beside it. To their left, a chest overflowed with what looked like a fishing rod, a wooden boat, and several stuffed animals.

Kirk stroked his chin. "It looks like a...playroom, to me. These are all toys." He walked over towards a red painted wooden top that was as tall as he was, standing it up. "Let's see if this works..." With a deft twist of his hands, he gave it a good spin, sending it pirouetting away towards McCoy.

He jumped out of the way, backing into a small seated figure and knocking it over. "Oh, excuse me," he apologized. The rag doll did not answer him. "Heh heh. Almost had me going, there." He picked up a small marble and began kicking it around.

Spock tugged on the wooden handle of a skipping rope that was wrapped around a blue painted rocking chair's rungs. He hauled himself upward and examined it. "The craftsmanship is remarkably sturdy."

"It'd have to be not to break when these little giants sit down on it," McCoy muttered just as the smaller child walked past him and headed for the chair. "Spock! Look out!" Spock looked up just in time to see the child bend at the waist to sit. He took a flying leap off the chair, grabbing onto the rope as he fell. Spock swung back and forth for a few seconds. He was just about to jump down when he heard a voice whisper loudly, "Spock!"

He looked up into the face of a little girl. She was wearing a light pink dress and her hair was in three braids. A small webbed frill of skin surrounded her neck. Spock frowned, but she didn't seem to notice him. Her attention was on two small dolls in her lap. "Good kitty," she murmured as she lifted one of the doll's hands to stroke the other one on the head. "Nice kitty."

"Spock! Over here!" His attention shifted to the faces of the dolls. Chapel and M'Ress both looked relieved to see him. Both were flushed. Chapel wore a frilly doll dress over her suit that she swam in. M'Ress's hair was frizzy and was sticking out in all directions.

"Captain, I have located the women," Spock called. Kirk and McCoy both looked his way.

The little girl looked down at him in surprise. "What are you doing down there?" She reached for Spock and set him down on her lap, forgetting Chapel for the moment. "Do you want to pet the kitty? 'Yes please. Hello, kitty,'" she continued in a deep voice, raising Spock's arm up to M'Ress's head. "'You're a nice kitty, yes you are,'" she crooned, patting M'Ress's head with Spock's hand.

McCoy chuckled. "Having fun, Spock?" he asked.

Spock looked down at him. "Not exactly."

Kirk looked down towards the other end of the room. A colorful block tower reached up to a large globe-like window surrounded by green striped curtains. "If we could just get up there..." As he headed for the tower, the floor rumbled and a shadow loomed over him. "Oh, no." He looked up and saw the boy standing over him, reaching down to pick him up again. He glanced over at Spock.

"I suggest you drop dead, Captain," the Vulcan offered in all seriousness.

Kirk shook his head and went limp. The short-haired boy grabbed him around the waist and ran over to the toy box. Rummaging around with one hand, he pulled out the toy boat and set it on the floor, depositing Kirk on the deck. "Here comes the police boat, looking for bad guys!" He bent the captain's arms and posed him with his hands on his hips. Then he scattered several rocks on the carpet and took a few trees from the house set. Spock, M'Ress and Chapel were seated outside it in chairs around a round table, tiny teacups in their hands. "This is the island," he continued, sticking the trees on the largest rock.

Kirk waited until he walked away to shoot a glance over his shoulder. The boy was striding over to the doll house. He yanked Spock off the little chair, knocking it over.

"Bremo!" Rynci shrieked. "Give it back! We're having juice together!" She reached for the Vulcan, but Bremo held it just out of her reach. "Bremo!" She followed after him. Chapel and M'Ress waited until she left, shared a look of concern and crept after them.

"Can't. I need a bad guy," Bremo replied. He picked up a surprised McCoy by one arm as he passed. "Two bad guys. They're fighting on the island." He knelt down by the flat rock and held them over it. With one officer in each hand, he smacked them against each other.

"Ow!" McCoy winced as Spock's chest collided with his. He barely had time to put his arms in front of his face before they struck against each other again. Spock squinted his eyes shut as they continued to fight. Bremo moved Spock's left arm down in a karate chop on McCoy's shoulder ("OH!"), then pushed McCoy's leg forward to kick Spock. He dropped them on the 'island' with a thud and reached for the 'police boat', sailing it closer. McCoy rubbed the back of his neck; Spock tried to sit up.

Lifting Kirk by the waist, he walked him off the dock and onto the island. "'No fighting. Come with me. You're under arrest,'" he shouted, moving Kirk's arms until he had McCoy and Spock in a bear hug. The 'bad guys' squirmed and hit Kirk, but he held them firmly. Bremo put them back on the boat and opened a small door in the hold, stuffing McCoy and Spock inside headfirst.

He stuck Kirk in front of the wheel and moved the boat away. "Mrrrrrrrrrrr...pt pt pt pt..." Rynci tried to reach for them again, but Bremo lifted the boat up in the air. Kirk grabbed the wheel to stay standing.

"Children! Mealtime!" a female voice called from downstairs. Both children dropped their toys and ran for the door. The boat fell to the floor with a thump, tipping Kirk over. "Whoa!"

Chapel and M'Ress waited until the kids were gone, then scrambled towards the boat. Kirk slid out of the cabin just as they arrived. All three made their way to the side, where two sets of legs kicked back and forth.

"Pull them out," Kirk ordered. He and M'Ress reached for McCoy's flailing legs, ducking to the right when one nearly kicked them. "Hold still. We'll get you out."

Chapel pulled Spock from the hold, falling backwards on her backside. Spock landed on her lap. He looked back at her. "My apologies."

"I'm not complaining," she smiled back, blushing.

Kirk and M'Ress pulled McCoy free at that moment. They stumbled backwards into a stack of blocks, knocking them over. A large rubber ball bounced down a ramp towards them. They got to their feet quickly and joined the others just as the ball hit the location they'd been previously. It bounced a couple more times and rolled harmlessly away.

"I oughta sue you for police brutality, Jim," McCoy said, cocking his head at Kirk, a wry smile curving his lips. "Or should I say, ' _Officer'_?"

Kirk laughed. "As I recall, you resisted arrest, Doctor." He shook his head, then looked between him and Spock. "I hope I didn't hurt you too badly."

"I'll be fine," McCoy muttered as Chapel came over to stand beside him. "You okay, Spock?"

Spock rubbed his calf. "Only bruised." He straightened up. "I found it most interesting that Bremo made us fight each other. It was rather in character."

McCoy crossed his arms over his chest. "In character? When was the last time we ever came to blows?"

"He may have sensed the tension between us without realizing it." Spock sat down on a building block. "But you are correct. I cannot recall our last physical confrontation."

Kirk smiled at them.

"Well, how come _he_ gets to be the cop and _I'm_ a bad guy?" McCoy continued, pointing his thumb at Kirk.

Kirk shrugged. "Like he said, Bones, 'in character'."

McCoy rolled his eyes. He shot a glance at M'Ress, who had found a doll comb and was running it through her hair. "If she calls me 'good kitty' once more..."

Chapel stood next to him, still wearing the doll dress over her environmental suit. "You look very nice, Christine," he offered.

"Thank you," she sighed exasperatedly. "Now that playtime's over, maybe we can make some progress on finding the _Ingalls_." She slipped the dress off her shoulders and stepped out of it.

They turned towards the half-open door. A shadow appeared and footsteps echoed on the staircase. "Think again," McCoy sighed. They froze in place as the shadow came closer.


	6. Backyard Beastie

Scotty, Sulu, Uhura, and Chekov appeared in four beams of light, all wearing environmental suits with the helmets down. Tall blades of dewy grass reached towards the sky all around them, making it difficult to see anything.

"I thought the planet was a desert. But _this_ looks like a bloomin' jungle." Scotty parted one of the blades with his hand, the other clutching a tool kit.

Chekov scanned the grass with his tricorder. "Maybe it's an oasis." He picked up a handful of wet dirt. "Seems well watered."

Sulu took out his comm. "Sulu to the captain, come in. What's your location?" Static came over the speaker. "Come in. Do you read me?" He flipped it shut and shook his head at the others, whose faces fell. "Nothing. I don't understand it. Their last known location wasn't far from here."

"They probably got lost. It wouldna be hard to do." Scotty walked ahead through the grass. "Stay close by me. If we split up in here, we'll spend all our time searching for _each other_." They followed afterwards, pushing grass out of the way.

Uhura slid more easily between the blades, catching up to Scotty. As she stood just behind him, she saw he was heading straight for a large metal structure sticking up out of the ground. "Mr. Scott, look out."

Scotty stopped just as his nose pressed against the side of the white cylinder. He chuckled. "Oops. That was cutting it close." He put his hand on the cylinder. "Wonder what this does?" As if it heard him, water began spraying from the top of the cylinder, raining down on them. It pelted the team with water for several seconds, before shutting off.

Sulu lifted a boot out of the now muddy ground. "How do you like that? Your oasis waters itself, Chekov," he smiled. Chekov smiled back.

"We must be in somebody's garden," Uhura whispered aloud, touching another blade of grass. "But if this is grass...imagine how big the _people_ who live here are."

Scotty shivered. " _Imagine_? I'm just hoping they dinna get the bright idea to come out and mow the lawn." He pulled apart a clump of weeds and pointed towards some purple tiles. "Let's get to some dry ground. Maybe we can see better from over there." They followed him over to a patio area, climbing up the tiles one at a time. Their boots left little muddy footprints on the tiles.

From the patio, they could see that the yard was quite large. A yellow stone fence with curved clear glass attached to the top surrounded it. Several exotic alien flowers grew on the sides; two trees with tiny blue leaves that seemed to float in midair flanked the flower beds. A third, twisty, knotted tree with a hole in the middle stood at the far end of the yard. On its strongest branch, a haphazardly constructed shack sat. A long knotted rope hung from the door, and a red cloth hung out the window, flapping around in the light breeze. For just a second, a glimmer of light twinkled as the curtain parted.

Uhura pointed at the window. "There! Did you see that?"

Scotty shaded his eyes with one hand as the sun beat down on their heads. "See what?"

The light twinkled again. "That. In the treehouse window."

Chekov squinted his eyes. "I don't see anything. Just the sunlight. Phew." He fanned his face with one hand.

Sulu and Scotty kept watching. Another twinkle, this one longer. "I see it." Sulu peered between the fingers of his hand, splayed on his face. "There's definitely something up there, all right. Could be the ship."

"But ve're all the way over _here_. It'll take an hour just to get to the tvisty tree." Chekov stood on the edge of the patio, his hands on his hips. They followed his gaze and took in the long distance away. He turned and paced away, stopping when he found a flat brown triangular biscuit speckled with yellow and darker brown. He broke a piece off of it and put it in his mouth, chewing. "Not bad. Ve better fortify ourselves."

A dark shadow loomed over his body, and he turned back to them, holding out a handful of the biscuit. "Do you vant some?"

All the others wore frightened looks as they backed away. "Don't look up, laddie; just come over here _verra_ slowly..." Scotty whispered, holding his hands palm up in front of himself.

"Vhat?" Chekov asked, looking over his head. A large orange reptilian creature with ridges all down its back and a mouthful of sharp teeth hissed at him. "Gah!" He jumped back, dropping the small piece of biscuit. He lifted the main piece and hid behind it like a shield, shaking. "Is this...yours? Ha, ha, ha..." The others watched, worried. He closed his eyes, wincing as the creature lowered its head towards him...and licked his face with the slurp of a wet forked tongue.

He opened one eye, and the creature seemed to smile at him before licking him again, eyes closed. "Hee hee...hey, stop that," he giggled. "You're just a beeg softy, aren't you?" The lizard cocked its head to the side and let out a squeak.

The three others collectively let out the breath they'd been holding. Slowly, they approached Chekov and the lizard. Uhura reached out a tentative hand to touch its scaly skin and was rewarded with a similar lick. "I think he's a pet," she laughed as she noticed a braided leather collar around his neck. "You scared us," she scolded mockingly. It lowered its head in shame for a second. "All's forgiven," she continued and it smiled again, nuzzling her with its nose.

Sulu was the next recipient of a lick. "Hey, I don't need a bath," he joked, looking down at his muddy suit even as he spoke. "On second thought..." He noticed that Scotty still stood back a little and beckoned him with a wave of his hand. "It's okay, sir, he won't bite."

"I dinna know..." Scotty gingerly stepped forward over the chunk of biscuit that Chekov had dropped. "Hello, reptile...please don't- Ach!" he shouted, stumbling backwards as the lizard snapped at him. He watched in fright as it lowered its head toward him...snapping up the biscuit piece.

"Oh, so _that's_ what you wanted." Scotty wiped his brow. "For a moment, I thought ye fancied a wee bite of Scottish shortbread... heh, heh." He reached out slowly to pat the lizard's face. It licked his hand and looked past him longingly at the rest of the biscuit. Scotty followed his gaze, noticing a bundle of twigs tied up with a long piece of string. "Hmmm...I think I might know a way we could get to that tree in a hurry..."


	7. Hitching A Ride

The reptile moved swiftly through the grass, following the biscuit, which was tied to the string. The other end of the string was tied to one of the twigs, which Scotty held in his hand. He sat astride the lizard, between two ridges, Sulu directly behind him, then Uhura, with Chekov bringing up the rear.

"Good idea, sir," Sulu shouted. He looked past Scotty's form towards the tree. They were already halfway across the yard. He pushed a pink flower out of the way before it hit him on the head.

Scotty dangled the biscuit closer to the creature's face. It snapped at it and he pulled it back up. "We've still got a ways to go yet, lad, and then ye'll get yer cookie. I promise." He patted it on the neck.

Uhura gazed around as tiny insects buzzed low over the grass. A fuzzy green bee-like creature flew into the center of a white flower, making a low rumbling sound. A pink butterfly the size of her hand landed lightly on her finger, fluttering its wings slowly. "All the insects we've seen are so little. I mean, even compared to _us_." She waved her hand around as it flew off, indicating the size of the yard.

The butterfly landed on Chekov's head. "Bugs are supposed to be small," he said, looking upwards at the insect.

"I know, but still..." Uhura looked up at the treehouse again. The gleam of light was more constant now. She shaded her eyes and saw for the first time that it had a silvery blueness to it. "Definitely something up there."

Scotty shook the twig and the biscuit bounced around. The lizard romped ahead faster, jolting the crew members from their seats. "Whoa, now!" Scotty shouted, gripping a spine with one hand. The others struggled to stay on, sliding and bouncing around. The creature finally came to a halt in front of the tree, much to their relief. Scotty stood up slowly and slid off the side of the creature, followed by the others.

He looked up at the treehouse, then back down at the rope, which hung loosely about 2 or 3 of their feet off the ground. "Don't suppose ye can climb trees, now, can ye?" he asked, indicating the tree with his chin. The lizard whined. Scotty patted his leg. "That's all right, then. Ye did us a great favour. Here you go." He untied the biscuit from the string and picked up one end. Chekov grabbed the other. "One, two, _three._ " They heaved the biscuit through the air in the direction of one of the flowerbeds. It disappeared into a clump of purple trumpet-shaped blooms. The lizard bounded off through the grass after it, stopping once and turning around as the crewmembers waved goodbye, then continued to search for the treat.

Scotty wiped his hands on his pants and looked up again. The others followed his gaze.

"What do you think, about half a mile?" Sulu asked.

Scotty studied the rope, stroking his chin. "I'd say that's about right." He tugged on the frayed end. "Well, at least we don't have to worry about it holding our weight." He pulled himself up, grabbing onto the first large knot. "Just think of it as a training exercise," he suggested, looking down briefly as he continued upwards.

Uhura pulled herself up next, lifting her left leg up onto the knot, then her right leg. "Good thing we're wearing gloves," she muttered, pausing to count the knots. "These knots are about 25 feet apart. It'll be slow going, but I think we can make it if we stop to rest now and then." She climbed higher as Chekov's face appeared by her left boot, Sulu's hands by her right. "No problem."


	8. Broken Toys

_Captain's Log, Supplemental: While searching for the_ Ingalls _on Kappa Mu VII, I and several members of my crew have been captured. The giant children who reside here have apparently mistaken us for toys. Though amusing at first, we have since discovered that play isn't all fun and games..._

This figure was even shorter than the other two. It had curly dark hair and chubby cheeks and resembled the other two children closely. It waved its arms in the air and toddled into the room, squealing. Blue drool dripped from its mouth onto its white tunic shirt.

"What are we so afraid of? It's only a baby." McCoy smiled as it plopped down onto the ground and began grabbing handfuls of the carpet fringe. He turned to face Kirk. "Kind of cute, in a way," he continued, not noticing the fat hand that reached out for him from above until it was too late. "Ah!" The baby picked up McCoy by the leg and dangled him upside down, shaking him. It squealed again and tossed McCoy in the air, catching him in its hand. "Help!" The other crew members watched helplessly as the baby pinched his head between its fingers and tried to twist it around. McCoy frantically pivoted his body to compensate. "Hey! My head doesn't turn that way!"

Kirk and Spock waved their hands in the air. "Hey! Over here!" Kirk yelled. The baby looked down at him, squeezing McCoy gently in its right hand, pinning his arms to his sides, and reached for Kirk with its left one, grabbing him. Opening its mouth wide, it moved Kirk towards the gaping hole. A single tooth stuck out of its gum. It closed its lips around Kirk's upper body and sucked on him with loud smacking noises, eyes closed. The captain's legs flailed around.

"Captain!" Chapel shouted, bringing her hands to her face. She turned around to Spock and tugged on his sleeve. "We've got to do something!" She riffled through her medikit and pulled out a hypospray, pressing it into his hands. "Here." She passed another to M'Ress, and kept one for herself. "They're mild tranquilizers. I'm not sure about the exact dosage, but it _should_ calm the little one down enough so we can rescue them." She climbed up on the child's knee, and Spock did the same on the other side, while M'Ress waited down by its feet.

"Captain, Doctor" Spock shouted, his hands cupped around his mouth, "you will be free shortly."

The baby shook McCoy gently like a rattle. "Easy does it," he complained. "Jim, you hear that?"

Blue slime covered Kirk's body, hanging down from the roof of the child's mouth. "Yuck," he groaned as he lifted one arm dripping with drool to reengage his helmet. "Sooner would be better."

Chapel poised her hypospray above the baby's leg. "Now." She plunged the injector against its skin and pressed. M'Ress and Spock did the same with theirs.

The baby's eyes popped open in surprise. Dropping McCoy, its mouth dropped open and it let out a loud howl. Kirk slid down into its lap as it started reaching for the places it had been injected. He shared a look with McCoy. "I'm okay. Soggy, but okay," Kirk laughed, raising a dripping wet hand.

A chubby arm knocked Chapel towards a large green stuffed snake with wings. "Oof!" She lay there, splayed out. The baby grabbed M'Ress and Spock and shook them up and down, throwing them in opposite directions. Spock tumbled and rolled into the toy chest, bumping his head. He rubbed his crown, frowning. McCoy caught M'Ress in his arms, stumbling backwards, and set her down feet first. As the child continued to scream and throw toys, everyone ducked while blocks, marbles, and puzzle pieces soared over their heads. "Watch out!" Kirk shouted, as a whistle flew past him, cracking his helmet. The drool soaked into the carpet beneath him.

Bremo and Rynci appeared in the doorway. "Nula! Stop that!" Rynci shouted. She ducked as a block almost hit her. "You're making a mess!" Running into the room, she picked up the crewmembers and looked them over, noticing Kirk's helmet. She touched it with her thumb. "Look, Bremo. She broke his hat," Rynci muttered sadly. She passed Kirk to her brother as the baby continued to cry.

The boy studied Kirk closely. "I see it."

Spock looked up from Rynci's hand. "Perhaps now might be a good time to try to convince them we are not toys." He wiggled around in the boy's hand.

Kirk disengaged his helmet. He waved at the boy. "Can you understand me? Hello. My name is Captain Kirk. I need your help."

"Please, help us," Chapel shouted, climbing up the girl's sleeve. She jumped back and dropped the others. They stood up and waved their hands in the air. "Help! Help!"

The boy frowned down at Kirk, then looked over at the others. "They're all broken," he said sadly. Then a smile crept across his face. He placed a hand on his sister's shoulder, reaching for Chapel. "Don't worry, Rynci, I'll take them to Dad's workshop. He'll fix them," he assured her.

Rynci smiled a little. "Okay," she agreed. She picked up the other three and gave them to her brother. He put Kirk and McCoy in one pocket, and Chapel, M'Ress, and Spock in the other. As they left the room, Nula hiccupped twice, lay down on the rug and closed her eyes, snoring quietly.

"Here we go again," McCoy muttered. They were all hanging onto the edge of the pockets with both hands, looking over the side. They held on tightly as Bremo thumped down the stairs and down a hallway. He skidded to a stop in front of a large door just as it was opening.

A man wearing a grey work apron over a long brown tunic stepped through. "Hey, there!" He ruffled the boy's hair with a large, sinewy webbed hand. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Bremo pulled the crew members out of his pockets and handed them to his dad. He frowned, studying them. "Where'd you get these from?" He rolled them around in his hand. "I don't remember making any like this."

"Me and Rynci found them outside." The boy stood up on his tiptoes to look down at them. "But Nula broke them. See?" He pointed to Kirk's helmet. "They keep moving and making funny squeak noises."

The man lifted them closer to his face.

"Hey! We're alive! We're not toys! Hello!" they shouted in unison, waving their hands and kicking their feet.

"I see," he said thoughtfully. "Well, I can't fix them today, son. It's too late in the day. Tell you what; why don't I just put them away in my workshop for now, and then you can help me fix them tomorrow. How's that sound?"

Bremo looked disappointed. "Okay," he finally said.

"Why don't you go give Joro his dinner?" Bremo's father suggested. "I'll bet he's a very hungry _te-taf-ree_ by now."

Bremo walked past his father and through a white door at the end of the hallway. His father headed back down the stairs to his workshop and deposited the still shouting and waving crew members on a large flat table covered in dust. He turned and went back upstairs, flipping off the light and locking the door behind him.

"Come back!" M'Ress shouted, hands cupped around her mouth.

"Don't leave us down here!" McCoy added. "Helloooooo..."

Kirk put his hand on their shoulders. "It's no use. He's gone," he sighed. Both their shoulders drooped.

"The captain is correct. Nobody can hear us from this distance." Spock said, looking back at them as he reached for a dark shape. He pressed it and a small lamp turned on, illuminating the tabletop.

Chapel sat down on the side of a blue metal tool. "And even if they could, they wouldn't understand a word we said." She rested her chin on her hand. "We probably all sound like we need _oil_."

McCoy paced over to the edge of the work bench, He glared at Spock. "'Perhaps now might be a good time to try to convince them we are not toys,'" McCoy mocked. He shook his head and spread his hands. "Brilliant idea, Spock. Now we're going to be locked in this room all night. And heaven knows what 'fixing' us entails." He shuddered.

"Don't be too sure, Doctor. There's got to be a way out of here. We just have to find it." Kirk surveyed the table. Several tools were scattered all about the surface, and bits of fluff and a couple of feathers stuck in between the wooden slats. A bottle of amber glue was tipped over, spilling a small sticky puddle on the table. "Maybe we could use some of these tools." They spread out, examining various objects.

McCoy's stomach growled. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm _starving_ ," McCoy said, rolling a couple of screws out of the way. "Maybe some chicken, a little gravy..." His voice trailed off as he bumped into some feathers. "Oof! Achoo!" he sneezed, wiping his nose with his sleeve. He looked up. A large grey speckled bird stared ahead, unmoving. "Speak of the drumsticks," he chuckled, leaning one hand against the animal's front. "I guess we're not the only broken toys down here."

"Here's another one," M'Ress purred, standing in front of a round red ball of fur whose body resembled a tribble, except it had tiny legs and a snout like a snapping turtle.

"Yikes! And another," Chapel added, jumping backwards. A shark-like fish with purple scales, its narrow jaws frozen open, looked as though it wanted to eat her. She reached out her hand and touched it. "They look so _real_ , don't they?"

Kirk had one leg up over the side of the tool box, when he saw Spock wander over to the animals. He watched as the Vulcan took out his tricorder and scanned them one by one. Kirk leapt down from the toolbox and jogged over towards Spock. "What is it?" he asked, glancing between the animals.

Spock turned to face him, his expression grim. "I have uncovered something which is potentially disturbing." He looked over at the others. "The reason all these 'toys' appear so lifelike is because, at one point, they _were_ alive."

"What?" Chapel asked. She looked back over her shoulder at the shark, as though she expected it to snap at her.

Spock passed the tricorder to Kirk. "Once, these creatures were as animated as we are. Since then, they have been rather expertly cleaned, stuffed, and preserved with resin."

Kirk looked at the readings. " _Taxidermy_ ," he muttered. He gave Spock back the tricorder and crossed his arms over his chest, seeing the creatures anew. "Impressive."

The others crowded around them, their faces wearing dismayed expressions. "Let me see that." McCoy grabbed the tricorder from Spock's hand. He studied the readings and backed up quickly, dropping it on the tabletop. "Oh, no. That's not happening to _me_." He raised his hands, palms up. "I'm a _doctor_ , not a _hunting trophy_!"

Kirk reached out a hand and put it on McCoy's arm. "Relax, Doctor. The only thing any of us is going to be stuffed with is a good supper after we get back to the _Enterprise_." He pointed towards the tool box. "I think I saw a ball of twine in there. We might be able to use it to get across the room and out that window." Kirk indicated a slightly open window that sat just above a metal shelf on which several dusty jars sat.

"Well, now we're _getting_ somewhere." McCoy sighed with relief. He rolled up his sleeves and headed for the tool box while Chapel and M'Ress went off together in the other direction.

Spock bent over to pick up his tricorder, only to see Kirk studying him intently. "Is there something else on your mind, sir?" he asked.

"Yes." Kirk moved closer to him. "When you scanned the room, did you happen to find any human blood?" he whispered.

Neither spoke for a moment. Spock put the strap of the tricorder over his shoulder. "No, sir, I did not."

Kirk sighed with relief. "Good." He walked away in the direction McCoy had gone, leaving Spock standing there alone.


	9. Ship In A Treehouse

Scotty stopped on one of the knots and wiped his brow. "Oof! I think I'm a little out of shape." He reached down for Uhura's hand and helped her climb up onto the knot.

She rubbed her neck. "A little water wouldn't hurt, either." Uhura peered upwards and saw Chekov and Sulu above them on the other side of the rope. "How'd you two get ahead of us?" she shouted.

Chekov paused, his legs wrapped around the rope. "Slowpoke," he teased, glancing down at them. Scotty frowned.

Sulu laughed. "It's because he's always 'rushin'. Get it?" He inched upwards slowly.

Uhura smiled at him. "What's your excuse?" she called back.

"All that fencing improves my -ugh- upper body strength." Sulu pulled himself up higher.

Scotty reached up for the next rope section. "Well, all I can – oof- say is, that –ugh- ship _better_ be up there," he muttered under his breath.

"If it isn't," Uhura added as she followed him, "I'm contacting the _Enterprise_ for reinfor-rrr-cements." She hoisted herself up slowly.

Chekov climbed even higher, pausing in between two knots as he became level with a branch that jutted out to the right. A small nest full of chirping baby birds with fluffy brown feathers sat between two smaller branches on the end. He smiled and pointed. "Look, babies."

A loud _SQUAWK!_ caused him to look up and behind him. A large brown bird was diving from the sky. Straight towards him. "Whoa!" He swung around to the other side of the rope, grabbing onto it for dear life as the bird flew past just inches away from him. The rope shook with the vibrations of air from its wings, causing the others to sway back and forth.

"Incoming!" Sulu yelled as another bird headed in their direction. He held on tight as it swept by. "That was a close one."

Scotty's legs shook loose of the rope. "Ach!" He kicked and thrashed in midair.

Uhura fell backwards, her hands letting go. She gripped the rope with her legs as it swung, pulling herself up to grab on again.

Several times the birds dive-bombed them, but the crew members barely managed to hang on. Just as the birds circled around for another attack, a beam of orange shot out from the treehouse at them, startling them. With a frightened screech, they flew away.

All their eyes looked towards the front of the treehouse as the rope slowed its sway. A redheaded human woman wearing a blue nurse's dress stood there, re-holstering her phaser. "Need help?" she called down. A bearded man wearing civilian clothes stood behind her, watching.

"Oh, noooo...we just thought we'd hang around here a _bit_ longer. Are ye daft, lassie? Of _course_ we do," Scotty shouted back. He shook his head and pulled himself upward.

The woman frowned at him before turning to the man. "There's four of them down there, Aaron. Give me a hand." They reached down together and grabbed Chekov's arms, pulling him up towards the treehouse and laying him on the floor. He stood there, catching his breath as they helped Sulu up, then Uhura, and finally Scotty.

They strode away from the entrance of the treehouse. Light streamed in through the window, catching the dome lamp atop the roof of a large two-level shuttle craft. The ship was charred and missing several hull plates, but in remarkably good condition otherwise. An open hatch on the side of the craft with loose wires hanging out revealed that someone had been attempting to fix the engines. Two young men looked up as they walked by.

Scotty reached out a hand towards the man and woman. They shook his in turn. "Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, USS _Enterprise_. And these are Lts. Uhura, Sulu and Chekov," Scotty added, each one nodding as he pointed to them. He chuckled. "We came out here looking for _you_ , and now ye've rescued _us_." He cocked his head to one side. "You _are_ from the SS _Ingalls_ , aren't ye?"

"Yes. Captain Aaron Jelinek, and this is Nurse Daphne Gellar. It's a good thing you're here; I could use your assistance. Most of our passengers are civilians. Don't know beans about repairing engines." He pointed back at the ship. A woman pressed her face against the window, watching them.

Scotty cracked his knuckles. "Well, let me at 'em. I'm sure between the two of us, we can get this bird airborne again." He put his arm around Captain Jelinek's shoulders and they headed for the ship.

Gellar watched him leave before turning to face the other three. "We've got a few injured, but nothing critical." She shook her head. "I'm surprised you were able to find us after those kids brought us up here."

"What kids?" Uhura asked.

Gellar pointed towards the large house across the yard. "A family of giants lives there. Three little kids and two parents. The oldest boy found our ship a short time after it crashed. He must've thought it was a toy. Flew us all around the backyard for a whole hour." She touched her stomach. "The longest hour of my life." Gellar smiled. "I'm no chicken, but one more wild ride like that one and I'll swear off space travel forever."

"Excuse me." Sulu pulled out his comm. "Sulu to _Enterprise_."

The _Enterprise_ orbited the red planet.

" _Enterprise_ here. Ensign Cylan is. Ahead gone." An alien woman with short black hair and a single suckered octopus tentacle sticking out of her pale white head sat at the comm.

"We've located the _Ingalls_. Mr. Scott thinks he can get her working again." He licked his lips. "Any word from the first landing party yet?" Sulu asked.

"Contact negative. Try I more?" she burbled, leaning forward in her chair.

"Yes, please do. Sulu out." He shut his comm, shaking his head.

"There are more of you?" Gellar asked.

"Yes," Chekov replied. "Our keptin and four others. They beamed down before ve did. But ve couldn't find them anyvhere."

Gellar frowned. "They could be with the children. Nobody's come up here for a few days." She strode toward the ship and they followed. "Kids never saw _us_ , but if they found your people..." Gellar shook her head. "If we could just get the sensors up and running, at least we could tell you where they are."

Sulu walked over to where Scotty and Captain Jelinek were hard at work. "What's the good word?" he asked.

Scotty stuck his head up. His hair was mussed. "Finally found the part that's been giving 'em all this trouble." He pulled out a small box with two cylinders sticking out of it and held it up. "I think I might be able to adapt one of the spare iridium impolators to replace it." He smiled at Captain Jelinek. "What did I tell ye? Once we catch up with our people, we'll escort ye to the closest Starbase for further repairs."

"How long will that take, Mr. Scott?" Sulu asked.

"About 20 minutes, if we're lucky." He turned to Jelinek. "I'd suggest ye assemble the rest of your passengers, Captain."

Jelinek smiled and walked away.


	10. Chicken Bones

A round magnet tied to a piece of twine sailed through the air towards the shelf unit and missed by a few feet. Kirk's face fell and he reeled in the rope again. Behind him, the other four sat on a wrench with 3 prongs. Chapel yawned, and M'Ress copied her. Even Spock looked drained.

"Well, that was pretty lousy," McCoy muttered under his breath as he stood up. "If you were pitching for a baseball game, my money'd be on the other team."

Kirk pulled the magnet up the side of the work table. "Maybe you could do better, Bones?" he snapped, holding out the magnet to him.

The doctor held up his hands in a show of surrender. "Heck no. I'm just saying, that was what, your twentieth attempt?"

"Twenty third, but who's counting?" Chapel asked. She covered her mouth as another yawn came. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to call it a night."

M'Ress's tail drooped. "Same here," she purred tiredly.

Kirk rubbed his eyes. "You know what they say; twenty-fourth time's the charm," he laughed half-heartedly.

"Nobody says that," McCoy protested.

Lifting the twine near the magnet, Kirk spun it around his head and let go of the short end. The magnet sailed across the room, this time striking the shelf and sticking there. "Success!"

Spock stood up and secured the other end higher up to the lamp's neck, pulling until it became taut. He and the women crowded around Kirk. The captain picked up a bent nail and hooked it over the twine. With a leap off the table's edge, he slid across the room and landed in the dust on the shelf. He stood and dusted himself off, waving at the others.

Spock picked up another nail and repeated the action. He landed next to Kirk, who helped him down. Chapel and M'Ress followed behind him. Finally, only McCoy remained.

"Doctor. It is your turn now," Spock shouted.

"It's not so bad if you don't look down," Chapel called.

"Too late." McCoy squeezed his eyes shut.

"Yeah. It's just like flying." M'Ress added.

"Come on, Bones. You can do it," Kirk encouraged.

McCoy picked up his nail and looked over the edge of the table, one foot dangling in empty space. He stepped back quickly. "I think I'll just wait here, if that's all right with you, Jim."

Kirk crossed his arms. "Chicken." He turned and reached for the shelf support, climbing up the post.

McCoy looked over his shoulder and saw the stuffed bird. Its glass eye winked at him in the light. "Chicken," he repeated. Shuddering, he whipped around, hooked the nail over the twine and took a flying leap off the table, eyes tightly shut. Just before he reached the shelf, the twine snapped. McCoy dropped the nail and launched himself towards the shelf, falling into a heap of dust. "Achoo!" Spock and Chapel helped him stand up. "Told you I could do it," he said as he reached for Kirk's hand to pull him up to the top shelf.

Kirk smiled. "I never doubted you for a moment, Doctor."


	11. Rescued

Inside the small cockpit of the _Ingalls_ , Sulu sat at the helm, Chekov beside him, both in comfortable looking gray chairs that came up just to their shoulders. "Systems are go." Several displays blinked on his console. He turned to Jelinek, who stood on a dais at the back near a small door that led to a passenger seating area, and beyond, the engine room and sickbay. "Ready to get out of here, Captain?"

Jelinek nodded. The _Ingalls_ lifted off the floor of the treehouse and rotated before soaring out the door, once again startling the birds.

Chekov studied a monitor screen. "Found them!" A grid overlay blinked. Gellar, Scotty and Uhura stood nearby, watching. "They're somewhere near the house. Svitching to underside camera, now." He pressed a button and the view changed to the grass and flowers below. The ship flew low over the lawn and up onto the patio just as Kirk and the others squeezed through the window.

The missing crew members looked up and saw the ship. They all began waving and jumping up and down. "I theenk they're happy to see us," Chekov smiled.

"Bringing her down slowly," Sulu said, pressing a button.

The ship lowered and turned until its door side was facing the window. Scotty and Gellar stood in the doorway. "About time you showed up!" Kirk laughed as Scotty pulled him up. "I'd say it's been a little longer than an hour, Mr. Scott," he scolded good-naturedly.

"Oh, ye know how it is, sir. Sometimes, time just gets away from you." Scotty reached for Spock's hand. "What with having to find the _Ingalls_ all by our lonesome, we forgot all about ye." He smiled.

M'Ress and Chapel entered the ship next, each taking Scotty's proffered hand. Finally, McCoy stepped up inside just as the door shut behind him. He smiled at Gellar. "Good to see you again, Daffy. And all in one piece, too," he added, regarding up and down her with a doctor's eye.

She wrinkled her freckled nose. "Nobody calls me that anymore. You know I hate it." She walked forward and hugged McCoy. "It's been a long time, 'Uncle' Len." Behind her, Chapel and M'Ress took their seats for the trip back to the _Enterprise_.

McCoy returned the hug and held Gellar at arm's length. "Don't you have a ship to fly or something?"

Gellar laughed. "More like, 'or something'. I'll see you in sickbay." She pulled away and headed down some stairs to the passenger living quarters.

"Call your mother," McCoy shouted after her, cupping his hands around his mouth. He turned to see Spock staring out a rectangular side window wistfully. "Don't tell me you're going to _miss_ this place?"

Spock turned from the window. "While less than ideal for the purpose of colonization, it _does_ have some intriguing scientific possibilities."

McCoy turned to Kirk and elbowed him in the ribs. "That must be Vulcan for 'hotter than blazes, but darned if _I'll_ admit it'."

"I dunno. _They_ seemed to find it tolerable." Kirk pointed down at the house, which was quickly becoming smaller as the _Ingalls_ soared into the sky.

Spock turned to face them. "I am surprised that someone with a disposition such as yours possesses such a low tolerance for heat, Doctor." He put his hand on McCoy's shoulder before walking away.

McCoy's face blushed crimson. His mouth dropped open, and he stood there, speechless. Stuffing his fists in his pockets, he headed for the door. He stopped and put one hand on the frame, turning back to look at Kirk. "Now that's _one_ head I wouldn't mind having on _my_ wall," he growled, pointing in the retreating Vulcan's direction.

Kirk looked at the stormy expression on McCoy's face and laughed.

The _Ingalls_ left the atmosphere of Kappa Mu VII and headed towards the _Enterprise_.


End file.
